A organic EL display panel includes an inter-layer insulation film, a pixel electrode, auxiliary wiring, a partition layer, an organic light-emitting layer, and a common electrode. The inter-layer insulation film has at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion disposed in a region over the auxiliary wiring, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and the auxiliary wiring includes a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
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1. An organic electroluminescence display panel, comprising:
a substrate;
a thin film transistor disposed over the substrate;
an inter-layer insulation film disposed over the thin film transistor;
a pixel electrode disposed over the inter-layer insulation film;
auxiliary wiring disposed over the inter-layer insulation film with separation from the pixel electrode;
a partition layer disposed over the inter-layer insulation film and having openings respectively arranged over the pixel electrode and over the auxiliary wiring;
an organic light-emitting layer disposed in the openings over the pixel electrode; and
a common electrode facing the pixel electrode through the openings over the pixel electrode and electrically connected to the pixel electrode via the organic light-emitting layer, and also facing the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring, wherein
the inter-layer insulation film has at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion disposed in an area over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and
the auxiliary wiring includes a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
12. A manufacturing method for an organic electroluminescence display panel, comprising:
preparing a substrate;
forming a thin film transistor over the substrate;
forming an inter-layer insulation film over the thin film transistor;
a pixel electrode disposed over the inter-layer insulation film;
forming auxiliary wiring over the inter-layer insulation film with separation from the pixel electrode;
forming a partition layer over the inter-layer insulation film with openings respectively formed over the pixel electrode and over the auxiliary wiring;
forming an organic light-emitting layer in the openings over the pixel electrode; and
forming a common electrode facing the pixel electrode through the openings over the pixel electrode and electrically connected to the pixel electrode via the organic light-emitting layer, and also facing the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring, wherein
the inter-layer insulation film is formed to have at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion formed in an area over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and
the auxiliary wiring is formed to include a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
2. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
the inter-layer insulation film includes an insulating material that is exposed throughout the top face of the concave portion.
3. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
the inter-layer insulation film includes:
a passivation layer disposed over the thin film transistor; and
a planarization layer disposed over the passivation film, and
the top face of the concave portion is located at one of a position within the planarization layer and a boundary between the passivation layer and the planarization layer.
4. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
a scan line disposed over the substrate, for transmitting a scan signal controlling operations of the thin film transistor, wherein
as seen in a plan view, the area of the inter-layer insulation film over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed includes an overlapping region that overlaps the scan line and a non-overlapping region that does not overlap the scan line, and
within the area, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film is disposed in the non-overlapping region and is not disposed in the overlapping region.
5. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
the overlapping region of the inter-layer insulation film has a planar top face.
6. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
as seen in the plan view, the scan line intersects the auxiliary wiring.
7. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
power supply wiring disposed over the substrate, for applying a power supply voltage to the thin film transistor, wherein
as seen in a plan view, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film overlaps the power supply wiring, and
the inter-layer insulation film includes an insulating material arranged between the power supply wiring and the auxiliary wiring part over the concave portion.
8. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
a layer of material identical to the organic light-emitting layer disposed between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring part over the concave portion.
9. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film includes a first groove extending along the auxiliary wiring and a second groove that intersects at least part of the first groove, and
the second groove is wider than the first groove.
10. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film includes a first groove extending along the auxiliary wiring and a second groove that intersects at least part of the first groove, and
the second groove is deeper than the first groove.
11. The organic electroluminescence display panel of
a functional layer that is in contact with the organic light-emitting layer through the openings over the pixel electrode, and with the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring, wherein
the common electrode is in contact with the functional layer through the openings over the auxiliary wiring.
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The present invention pertains to an organic electroluminescence display panel (hereinafter, organic EL display panel) and to a manufacturing method for same, and particularly pertains to auxiliary wiring for diminishing a voltage drop toward the centre of the panel.
Presently, research and development are advancing in organic EL display panel of the active matrix type, where each pixel is provided with an organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter, organic EL element) along with a drive circuit to drive the organic EL element. The organic EL element includes a bottom electrode, a top electrode, and an organic light-emitting layer disposed between the electrodes, as well as a functional layer that includes a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, and so on as needed. Typically, an organic EL display panel has a common electrode as the top electrode provided in common for all pixels, and a pixel electrode as the bottom electrode provided individually for each pixel. Also, top-emission configurations are often used to improve the pixel aperture ratio. In such cases, the common electrode acting as the top electrode is required to be optically transmissive. To ensure that the material is optically transmissive, using a transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide (hereinafter, ITO), indium zinc oxide (hereinafter, IZO), or zinc oxide. Alternatively, a 10 nm to 20 nm thin film of a metal such as silver, gold, or aluminium may be used. As it happens, transparent conductors such as ITO have high resistance relative to metal materials, which makes the common electrode prone to great drops in voltage toward the centre of the panel. Metal material such as silver has increased sheet resistance due to thinning, thus making the common electrode similarly prone to great drops in voltage toward the centre of the panel.
Conventionally, technology has been proposed for providing auxiliary wiring that reduces the voltage drop toward the centre of the panel (e.g., Patent Literature 1).
The organic EL display panel includes a substrate 51, power supply wiring 52, a TFT layer 53, an inter-layer insulation film 54, a pixel electrode 55, auxiliary wiring 56, a partition layer 58, an organic light-emitting layer 60, and a common electrode 62. The pixel electrode 55 and the auxiliary wiring 56 are arranged at a distance from each other, on the inter-layer insulation film 54. The partition layer 58 is formed over the inter-layer insulation film 54, and has two types of openings, one type formed over the top of the pixel electrode 55 and the other type formed over the top of the auxiliary wiring 56. The organic light-emitting layer 60 is formed in each of the openings over the pixel electrode 55. Then, the common electrode 62 is formed so as to cover the partition layer 58, is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 55 via the organic light-emitting layer 60 through the openings over the pixel electrode 55, and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring 56 through the openings over the auxiliary wiring 56. Although not illustrated, the auxiliary wiring 56 extends from a periphery of the panel to the centre of the panel. Providing the auxiliary wiring 56 in this way enables the combined resistance of the common electrode 62 and the auxiliary wiring 56 to be decreased in comparison to a configuration where the auxiliary wiring 56 is not provided, thereby diminishing the voltage drop toward the centre of the panel.
[Patent Literature 1]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-207217
As it happens, other layers may form between the auxiliary wiring and the common electrode for reasons of convenience during the panel manufacturing process. For example, when a functional layer, including a hole injection layer, an electron transport layer, and so on, is formed over the pixel electrode, forming the functional layer locally may be difficult for cost or technical considerations. Thus, the functional layer may be formed over the auxiliary wiring, or a protection layer may be formed for protecting the auxiliary wiring surface from natural oxidation. In such cases, the contact resistance between the auxiliary wiring and the common electrode increases, which may cause the voltage drop toward the centre of the panel to be insufficiently reduced. Also, the decrease in contact resistance may be helpful even in cases where no other layers are present between the auxiliary wiring and the common electrode.
The present disclosure aims to provide technology for diminishing the voltage drop toward the centre of the panel by decreasing the contact resistance between the auxiliary wiring and the common electrode.
In one aspect, an organic electroluminescence display panel comprises: a substrate; a thin film transistor disposed over the substrate; an inter-layer insulation film disposed over the thin film transistor; a pixel electrode disposed over the inter-layer insulation film; auxiliary wiring disposed over the inter-layer insulation film with separation from the pixel electrode; a partition layer disposed over the inter-layer insulation film and having openings respectively arranged over the pixel electrode and over the auxiliary wiring; an organic light-emitting layer disposed in the openings over the pixel electrode; and a common electrode facing the pixel electrode through the openings over the pixel electrode and electrically connected to the pixel electrode via the organic light-emitting layer, and also facing the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring, wherein the inter-layer insulation film has at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion disposed in an area over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and the auxiliary wiring includes a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
According to this configuration, concave portions and non-concave portions are provided in the inter-layer insulation film, and the auxiliary wiring has corresponding concave portions and non-concave portions. Providing the auxiliary wiring on these concave portions and non-concave portions enables the surface area of electric contact between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring to be increased. Accordingly, contact resistance between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring is reduced, which in turn further diminishes a voltage drop toward the centre of the panel.
[Overview of Aspects]
In one aspect, an organic electroluminescence display panel comprises: a substrate; a thin film transistor disposed over the substrate; an inter-layer insulation film disposed over the thin film transistor; a pixel electrode disposed over the inter-layer insulation film; auxiliary wiring disposed over the inter-layer insulation film with separation from the pixel electrode; a partition layer disposed over the inter-layer insulation film and having openings respectively arranged over the pixel electrode and over the auxiliary wiring; an organic light-emitting layer disposed in the openings over the pixel electrode; and a common electrode facing the pixel electrode through the openings over the pixel electrode and electrically connected to the pixel electrode via the organic light-emitting layer, and also facing the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring, wherein the inter-layer insulation film has at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion disposed in an area over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and the auxiliary wiring includes a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
According to this configuration, concave portions and non-concave portions are provided in the inter-layer insulation film, and the auxiliary wiring has corresponding concave portions and non-concave portions. Providing the auxiliary wiring on these concave portions and non-concave portions enables the surface area of electric contact between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring to be increased. Accordingly, contact resistance between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring is reduced, which in turn further reduces a drop in voltage at the centre of the panel.
Also, the inter-layer insulation film includes an insulating material that is exposed throughout the top face of the concave portion. That is, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film does not form a through-hole from the top face to the bottom face of the inter-layer insulation film. Accordingly, the auxiliary wiring is provided on the concave portions and the non-concave portions while electrical insulating properties are maintained in the auxiliary wiring.
Further, the inter-layer insulation film includes a passivation layer disposed over the thin film transistor and a planarization layer disposed over the passivation film, and the top face of the concave portion is located at one of a position within the planarization layer and a boundary between the passivation layer and the planarization layer. Accordingly, the auxiliary wiring is provided on the concave portions and the non-concave portions while electrical insulating properties are maintained in the auxiliary wiring.
In addition, a scan line is disposed over the substrate, for transmitting a scan signal controlling operations of the thin film transistor such that, as seen in a plan view, the area of the inter-layer insulation film over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed includes an overlapping region that overlaps the scan line and a non-overlapping region that does not overlap the scan line, and within the area, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film is disposed in the non-overlapping region and is not disposed in the overlapping region.
Given considerations of reducing delay in signals input to the scan lines, the parasitic capacitance of the scan line is beneficially reduced as much as possible. According to the above configuration, the concave portions of the inter-layer insulation film are not formed in regions overlapping the scan lines as seen in the plan view, thereby ensuring a certain degree of separation between the auxiliary wiring and the scan lines. Thus, the parasitic capacitance of the scan lines is reduced, which results in reduced delays for scan signal transmission by the scan lines.
Furthermore, the overlapping region of the inter-layer insulation film has a planar top face.
Additionally, as seen in the plan view, the scan line intersects the auxiliary wiring.
Alternatively, power supply wiring is further disposed over the substrate, for applying a power supply voltage to the thin film transistor, such that, as seen in a plan view, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film overlaps the power supply wiring, and the inter-layer insulation film includes an insulating material arranged between the power supply wiring and the auxiliary wiring part over the concave portion.
Also, a layer of material identical to the organic light-emitting layer disposed between the common electrode and the auxiliary wiring part over the concave portion.
In addition, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film includes a first groove extending along the auxiliary wiring and a second groove that intersects at least part of the first groove, and the second groove is wider than the first groove.
As an alternative, the concave portion of the inter-layer insulation film includes a first groove extending along the auxiliary wiring and a second groove that intersects at least part of the first groove, and the second groove is deeper than the first groove.
As a further alternative, a functional layer is in contact with the organic light-emitting layer through the openings over the pixel electrode, and with the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring, and the common electrode is in contact with the functional layer through the openings over the auxiliary wiring.
In another aspect, a manufacturing method for an organic electroluminescence display panel comprises: preparing a substrate; forming a thin film transistor over the substrate; forming an inter-layer insulation film over the thin film transistor; a pixel electrode disposed over the inter-layer insulation film; forming auxiliary wiring over the inter-layer insulation film with separation from the pixel electrode; forming a partition layer over the inter-layer insulation film with openings respectively formed over the pixel electrode and over the auxiliary wiring; forming an organic light-emitting layer in the openings over the pixel electrode; and forming a common electrode facing the pixel electrode through the openings over the pixel electrode and electrically connected to the pixel electrode via the organic light-emitting layer, and also facing the auxiliary wiring through the openings over the auxiliary wiring and electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring, wherein the inter-layer insulation film is formed to have at least one paired concave portion and non-concave portion formed in an area over which the auxiliary wiring is disposed, a top face of the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the non-concave portion, and the auxiliary wiring is formed to include a part over the concave portion and a part over the non-concave portion, a top face of the part over the concave portion being concave with respect to a top face of the part over the non-concave portion.
Embodiments of the disclosure are described below, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Overall Configuration>
The organic EL display panel includes a substrate 1, power supply wiring 2, thin-film transistors (hereinafter, TFTs) 3, an inter-layer insulation film 4, pixel electrodes 5, auxiliary wiring 6, a hole injection layer 7, a partition layer 8, a hole transport layer 9, an organic light-emitting layer 10, an electron transport layer 11, a common electrode 12, and a sealing layer 13.
The substrate 1 is made of an insulating material, such as glass or resin.
The power supply wiring 2 is arranged over the substrate 1. The material for the power supply wiring 2 may be any known wiring material having conductivity.
The TFTs 3 are arranged over the substrate 1. As shown in the magnified view of portion A, each of the TFTs 3 includes a gate electrode 31, a gate insulation film 32, a semiconductor layer 33, a drain electrode 34, and a source electrode 35. The TFTs 3 are not limited to this configuration, and may be configured differently.
The inter-layer insulation film 4 is arranged over the TFTs 3. Although not illustrated, the inter-layer insulation film 4 has contact holes arranged at every pixel, for electrically connecting each of the pixel electrodes 5 to a corresponding one of TFTs 3. In the present disclosure, the inter-layer insulation film 4 includes a passivation film 41 and a planarization film 42. The passivation film 41 covers the power supply wiring 2 and the TFTs 3, thereby providing protection to the power supply wiring 2 and the TFTs 3. The planarization film 42 is arranged over the passivation film and is provided in order to flatten the foundation of the pixel electrodes 5. The material for the passivation film 41 and the planarization film 42 may be any known inorganic or organic material having insulating properties. In the present Embodiment, a photosensitive resin is used as the material for the planarization film 42.
The pixel electrodes 5 are arranged over the inter-layer insulation film 4. The pixel electrodes 5 are provided separately, one for each pixel. The material for the pixel electrodes 5 may be any material having conductivity and, for a top-emission panel, also reflectivity. Such materials include aluminium, aluminium alloy, silver, silver alloy, and so on.
The auxiliary wiring 6 is arranged over the inter-layer insulation film 4 with separation from the pixel electrodes 5. The material for the auxiliary wiring 6 may be any material having conductivity. When the auxiliary wiring 6 and is formed in the same process as the pixel electrodes 5, the same material as the pixel electrodes 5 is necessarily used.
The hole injection layer 7 injects holes supplied by the pixel electrodes 5 to the organic light-emitting layer 10. The material for the hole injection layer 7 is, for example, a transition metal oxide such as tungsten oxide or molybdenum oxide. Also, the hole injection layer 7 need only be above the pixel electrodes 5 and need not necessarily be provided over the auxiliary wiring 6. However, in the present Embodiment, the hole injection layer 7 covers the top of the inter-layer insulation film 4 in entirety, for purposes of manufacturing process simplification. As a result, the hole injection layer 7 is present over the auxiliary wiring 6.
The partition layer 8 is arranged over the inter-layer insulation film 4, and has two types of openings, one type formed over the top of the pixel electrodes 5 and the other type formed over the top of the auxiliary wiring 6. The material for the partition layer 8 may be any known inorganic or organic material having insulating properties. In the present Embodiment, a photosensitive resin is used as the material for the partition layer 8.
The hole transport layer 9 is formed in each of the openings of the partition layer 8 over the pixel electrodes. The materials for the hole transport layer 9 are known. For example, as listed in Japanese Patent Application No. H5-163488, a triazole derivative, an oxadiazole derivative, an imidazole derivative, a polyarylalkane derivative, a pyrazoline derivative and pyrazolone derivative, a phenylenediamine derivative, an arylamine derivative, an amino-substituted chalcone derivative, an oxazole derivative, a styrylanthracene derivative, a fluorenone derivative, a hydrazone derivative, a stilbene derivative, a porphyrin compound, an aromatic tertiary amine compound and styrylamine compound, a butadiene compound, a polystyrene derivative, a hydrazone derivative, a triphenylmethane derivative, or a tetraphenylbenzene derivative may be used. Using a porphyrin compound or an aromatic tertiary amine compound and styrylamine compound is particularly beneficial.
The organic light-emitting layer 10 is formed over the hole transport layer 9 in each of the openings of the partition layer 8 over the pixel electrodes. The organic light-emitting layer 10 emits light in three colours, R, G, and B, through recombination of holes and electrons. The materials for the organic light-emitting layer 10 are known. For example, materials cited in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H5-163488, such as an oxinoid compound, perylene compound, coumarin compound, azacoumarin compound, oxazole compound, oxadiazole compound, perinone compound, pyrrolo-pyrrole compound, naphthalene compound, anthracene compound, fluorene compound, fluoranthene compound, tetracene compound, pyrene compound, coronene compound, quinolone compound and azaquinolone compound, pyrazoline derivative and pyrazolone derivative, rhodamine compound, chrysene compound, phenanthrene compound, cyclopentadiene compound, stilbene compound, diphenylquinone compound, styryl compound, butadiene compound, dicyanomethylene pyran compound, dicyanomethylene thiopyran compound, fluorescein compound, pyrylium compound, thiapyrylium compound, selenapyrylium compound, telluropyrylium compound, aromatic aldadiene compound, oligophenylene compound, thioxanthene compound, anthracene compound, cyanine compound, acridine compound, metal complex of an 8-hydroxyquinoline compound, metal complex of a 2-bipyridine compound, complex of a Schiff base and a group three metal, metal complex of oxine, rare earth metal complex, and so on may be used.
The electron transport layer 11 is arranged in the type of opening over the pixel electrodes to face the pixel electrodes 5, and in the type of opening over the auxiliary wiring to face the auxiliary wiring 6. The electron transport layer 11 transports electrons supplied by the common electrode 12 to the organic light-emitting layer 10. The materials for the electron transport layer 11 are known. For example, one of the materials listed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H5-163488, such as a nitro-substituted fluorenone derivative, a thiopyran dioxide derivative, a diphenylquinone derivative, a perylene tetracarboxyl derivative, an anthraquinodimethane derivative, a fluoronylidene methane derivative, an anthrone derivative, an oxadiazole derivative, a perinone derivative, and a quinolone complex derivative, may be used. Also, for electron injection improvement considerations, the above materials may also be doped with an alkali metal or with an alkali earth metal such as sodium, barium, or calcium. The electron transport layer 11 need not necessarily be present in the type of opening over the auxiliary wiring, provided that it is present in the type of opening over the pixel electrodes. However, in the present Embodiment, the electron transport layer 11 covers the top of the partition layer 8 in entirety, for purposes of manufacturing process simplification. As a result, the electron transport layer 11 is over the auxiliary wiring 6.
The common electrode 12 faces the pixel electrodes 5 through the type of opening over the pixel electrodes, is electrically connected to the pixel electrodes 5 via the electron transport layer 11, the organic light-emitting layer 10, the hole transport layer 9, and the hole injection layer 7, faces the auxiliary wiring 6 through the type of opening over the auxiliary wiring, and is electrically connected to the auxiliary wiring 6 via the electron transport layer 11 and the hole injection layer 7. Specifically, the common electrode 12 includes a first part arranged in the type of opening over the pixel electrodes, a second part arranged in the type of opening over the auxiliary wiring, and a third part arranged over the partition layer 8. The first part, the second part, and the third part are continuous. The material for the common electrode 12 may be any material having conductivity and, for a top-emission panel, is also optically transmissive. To ensure that the material is optically transmissive, using a transparent conductor such as ITO, IZO, or zinc oxide. Alternatively, a 10 nm to 20 nm thin film of a metal such as silver, gold, or aluminium may be used.
The sealing layer 13 protects the organic light-emitting layer 10 from intrusion by water and oxygen. The material for the sealing layer 13 may be a known material such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or aluminium oxide.
In the present Embodiment, the organic EL element includes the pixel electrodes 5, the hole injection layer 7, the hole transport layer 9, the organic light-emitting layer 10, the electron transport layer 11, and the common electrode 12. Also, one organic EL element and one pixel circuit are provided for each pixel.
A pixel circuit 30 includes p-type TFTs 3a and 3b, and a capacitor. A source electrode of TFT 3a is connected to a data line 36, a drain electrode of TFT 3a is connected to a gate electrode of TFT 3b, and a gate electrode of TFT 3a is connected to a scan line 14. Also, a source electrode of TFT 3b is connected to the power supply wiring 2, a drain electrode of TFT 3b is connected to an anode (i.e., pixel electrode) of the organic EL element, and the gate electrode of TFT 3b is connected to the drain electrode of TFT 3a. The capacitor is connected between the source and gate electrodes of TFT 3b. Also, a cathode (i.e., common electrode) of the organic EL element is connected to the auxiliary wiring 6. The power supply wiring 2 is intended to apply a power source voltage to the source electrode of TFT 3b. The auxiliary wiring 6 is intended to apply a ground voltage to the cathode of the organic EL element. The scan line 14 is intended to deliver a scan signal that controls operations of TFT 3a. The data line 36 is intended to deliver a data signal that controls operations of TFT 3b.
The power supply wiring 2, the auxiliary wiring 6, and the data line 36 each extend in a column direction of the organic EL display panel. Also, the scan line 14 extends in a row direction of the organic EL display panel. Further, the power supply wiring 2 extends to a panel periphery and is electrically connected to a power terminal of an external power supply located at the panel periphery. The auxiliary wiring 6 extends to panel the periphery is electrically connected to a ground terminal of the external power supply, located at the panel periphery. In addition, the data line 36 and the scan line 14 extend to the panel periphery and are electrically connected to an external drive circuit, located at the panel periphery.
<Auxiliary Wiring Details>
The shape of the auxiliary wiring is particular to the present Embodiment. The shape of the auxiliary wiring is described in detail below.
The auxiliary wiring 6 includes concave portions 6a, which are groove shaped, and non-concave portions 6b. Each concave portion 6a has a longitudinal length that is shorter than a column-wise length of one pixel. The concave portions 6a are provided in a quantity corresponding to the number of rows. The arrangement of the concave portions 6a and the non-concave portions 6b of the auxiliary wiring 6 is easily understood with reference to
The depth of the concave portions 4a of the inter-layer insulation film 4 is established so as to avoid passing completely through the planarization film 42. Therefore, the insulating material making up the planarization film 42 is exposed across the entire top face of the concave portion 4a of the inter-layer insulation film 4. That is, the concave portion 4a of the inter-layer insulation film 4 does not form a through-hole from the top face to the bottom face of the inter-layer insulation film 4. Accordingly, the auxiliary wiring 6 and the power supply wiring 2 each extend in the column direction and occupy corresponding positions as seen in the plan view, but electrical insulating properties are maintained between the two components.
Also, as shown in
<Manufacturing Method>
First, the power supply wiring 2 and the TFTs 3 are formed over the substrate 1. The passivation film 41 is further formed over the substrate 1, so as to cover the power supply wiring 2 and the TFTs 3 (see
Next, a planarization material layer 42c is layered in order to form the planarization film 42 (see
Afterwards, the planarization material layer 42c is exposed through a photo-mask. The planarization film 42 is then formed with the concave portions 4a and the non-concave portions 4b through a developing process (
Next, a conductive layer 5c for forming the pixel electrodes 5 and the auxiliary wiring 6 is layered over the planarization film 42 (see
Subsequently, the hole injection layer 7 is layered over the inter-layer insulation film 4 having the pixel electrodes 5 and the auxiliary wiring 6 formed thereon (see
Next, the partition material layer 8c is exposed through a photo-mask. Afterward, a developing process is performed to form the partition layer 8 having the openings 8a formed above the pixel electrodes 5 and the openings 8b formed over the auxiliary wiring 6 (see
Afterward, the hole transport layer 9 and the organic light-emitting layer 10 are formed in each opening 8a of the partition layer 8 (see
Finally, the sealing layer 13 is layered over the common electrode 12, thereby completing the organic EL display panel (see
Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in the shape used for the concave portions 6a of the auxiliary wiring 6. Otherwise, Embodiment 2 is identical to Embodiment 1, and explanations are therefore omitted.
This Embodiment provides an improvement in the concave portion 6a of the auxiliary wiring 6 enabling the formation of the partition layer 8 with less of the partition material layer 8c remaining in the concave portions 6a. The effects of this Embodiment are described below.
The partition material layer 8c includes a concave part 8d shaped in conformity with the concave portion 6a (see
Once the partition material layer 8c is exposed to developing solution 8e, a part 8f of the partition material layer 8c on the auxiliary wiring 6 is gradually dissolved (see
When the concave portion 6a of the auxiliary wiring 6 has the first groove along the auxiliary wiring and the second groove that intersects the first groove, and the width of the second groove is greater than the width of the first groove, then upon developing the partition material layer 8c, the developing solution more easily enters the first groove. As a result, less of the partition material layer 8c remains on the concave portion 6a.
When the electron transport layer 11 is formed by vacuum deposition and the common electrode 12 is formed by sputtering, then this also reduces the contact resistance between the auxiliary wiring 6 and the common electrode 12 for the following reasons.
Typically, vacuum deposition is difficult to use for creating a film on side walls of a narrow groove (that is, the method has poor coverage). However, the sputtering method is more amenable to creating a film on side walls of a narrow groove (that is, the method has better coverage). Accordingly, when the electron transport layer 11 is formed over the auxiliary wiring 6, forming the electron transport layer 11 on the side walls of the narrow groove portion is difficult. Thus, some areas are formed in which the electron transport layer 11 is extremely thin or is not present at all. Then, when forming the common electrode 12 over the electron transport layer 11, electrical resistance between the auxiliary wiring 6 and the common electrode 12 is reduced in the corresponding areas.
Then, when the first groove 6a1 is narrow and the second groove 6a2 is wide, in contrast to the first groove 6a1 being wide and the second groove 6a2 being narrow, a longer region is formed in which the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2 do not intersect. That is, the narrow portion of the groove is extended. Accordingly, the contact resistance between the auxiliary wiring 6 and the common electrode 12 is reduced.
As described above, the side walls of the narrow groove have the electron transport layer 11 formed thereon with areas that are extremely thin or completely non-existent. There is a risk of electric fields becoming concentrated in these areas. In such circumstances, the first groove 6a1 may be widened and the second groove 6a2 may be narrowed. Then, in contrast to the first groove 6a1 being narrow and the second groove 6a2 being wide, a shorter region is formed in which the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2 do not intersect. That is, the narrow portion of the groove is shortened. Accordingly, fewer areas are formed in which electrical fields are prone to concentrating.
According to the above, when reducing contact resistance is prioritised, the first groove 6a1 is made narrower and the second groove 6a2 is made wider. Conversely, when electrical field concentration is a more important concern, the first groove 6a1 is made wider and the second groove 6a2 is made narrower.
[Variations]
The present disclosure has been described above with reference to the Embodiments. However, no limitation to the above-described Embodiments is intended. For instance, the following variations may be applied.
(1) Depth of Inter-Layer Insulation Film Concave Portion
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the depth of the concave portions 4a of the inter-layer insulation film 4 is established so as to avoid passing completely through the planarization film 42. However, no such limitation is intended, provided that the insulating properties of the inter-layer insulation film 4 are maintained. For example, as shown in
(2) Positional Relationship of Pixel Electrodes and Auxiliary Wiring in Thickness Direction
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the pixel electrodes 5 and the non-concave portion 6b of the auxiliary wiring are found at the same level with respect to the thickness direction (e.g., see
(3) Shape and Quantity of Concave Portions
In Embodiments 1 and 2, specific shapes and quantities are given for the concave portions. However, no such limitation is intended provided that the concave portions and non-concave portions are provided. Each of the following examples produce the effect of increasing the contact surface area by the area of the side walls at the boundary between the concave portions 6a and the non-concave portions 6b.
In
In
In
In
In
Obviously, the widths and depths of the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2 may be adjusted and combined. For example, the first groove 6a1 may be made deeper and wider than the second groove 6a2.
Also, the following effects are provided by using the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2. During organic EL display panel manufacturing, dust may adhere to the auxiliary wiring 6. When dust has adhered to the auxiliary wiring 6, the additional height of the dust may produce pinholes on the sealing layer 13. Such pinholes allow infiltration by water and air, which leads to partial degradation of the electron transport layer 11. Also, water and air are constantly supplied through the pinholes, which means that the degradation of the electron transport layer 11 gradually radiates from the pinholes.
Also, when vacuum deposition is used to form the electron transport layer 11 as described above, then some areas are formed on the side walls of the groove in the auxiliary wiring 6 in which the electron transport layer 11 is extremely thin or is not present at all. Although degradation of the electron transport layer 11 may gradually radiate from the pinholes, said areas where the electron transport layer 11 is extremely thin or not present at all may delay or even halt the spread of degradation. Accordingly, the decrease in useful life caused by degradation of the electron transport layer 11 is constrainable.
(4) Layer Configuration within Concave Portion of Auxiliary Wiring
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the organic light-emitting layer 10 is formed only within the openings 8a on the pixel electrodes 5. However, no such limitation is intended. For example, as shown in
(5) Angle Between First Groove and Second Groove
In Embodiment 2, the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2 intersect at right angles. However, no particular limitation is intended regarding this intersection. For example, the angle between the first groove 6a1 and the second groove 6a2 need not be 90°, and may instead be 45° or 60°.
(6) Plan View of Auxiliary Wiring
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the auxiliary wiring 6 is arranged in stripes along the column direction. However, no such limitation is intended. For example, the auxiliary wiring may be arranged as a mesh with stripes along the column direction and the row direction.
(7) Auxiliary Wiring Quantity
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the auxiliary wiring 6 is provided once every three pixels. However, no such limitation is intended. For example, the wiring may be provided every pixel, or at intervals greater than once every three pixels.
(8) Scan Line Quantity
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the scan lines are provided once every row. However, no such limitation is intended. This quantity may be determined according to the configuration of the drive circuit provided to each pixel.
(9) Pixel Layer Configuration
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the pixel electrodes 5 and the common electrode 12 are separated by the hole injection layer 7, the hole transport layer 9, the organic light-emitting layer 10, and the electron transport layer 11. However, no such limitation is intended provided that the organic light-emitting layer 10 is located therebetween.
(10) Inter-Layer Insulation Film Configuration
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the inter-layer insulation film 4 includes a passivation film 41 and a planarization film 42. However, no such limitation is intended provided that insulation is present between the layer where the pixel circuit is located and the layer where the organic EL element is located.
(11) Display Device Application
The present invention is applicable to organic EL displays and the like.
Nendai, Kenichi, Osako, Takashi, Mizusaki, Naoko
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